The latest MIFC news for you!

April 2020

Club new Club news & updatess & updates

Mercer Island FC is our community's volunteer-led, non-profit soccer club for kids of all ages. Let’s play!

www.mercerislandfc.org

MIFC's COVID-19 Response
Fall Registration Open - Sign Up Now!
Current Status of Select Tryouts
XBox Tournament (Greg)
Check out videos and articles on our website
Family Fun -- Participate in our Parent Contest for prizes!
MIFC Board Searching for a New Player-Coach Development VP

MIFC's COVID-19 Response

For more than fifty years Mercer Island FC (MIFC) has provided our community's kids (and parent coaches and spectators) with unmatched opportunities to learn and play the world's game of soccer, at every age and level of skill and interest. The suspension of the opportunity to practice, learn, compete and share our collective love of the game during this pandemic has been heartbreaking. The sight of soccer goals lashed together to prevent spontaneous pick-up games hurts. And we grieve for the loss of the MIHS senior boys' last season. But MIFC is preparing to return to operations as soon as it is safe to do so, modified in whatever ways are necessary to promote safety and health. We are closely monitoring the guidance from federal, state and local health agencies, as well as US Soccer and Washington Youth Soccer in our plans to return to operations.

We have been here creating community for decades, and will continue to support our players and families with compassion and assistance for those who have experienced extreme hardship as a result of the pandemic. Know that we are planning for any contingency, with hope that return of the beautiful game will lift spirits and remind all of us that with teamwork, we can accomplish anything.

Fall Registration Open - Sign Up Now!

In anticipation of the return of youth soccer to our region, we are announcing our upcoming registration for Fall Micro, Recreational & Juniors is now OPEN to register.

Mercer Island FC has a new registration system (Sports Connect) and you will need to create a new account. When registering your son/daughter please note that some questions while they might not fit your child's needs or experience, they are required by Washington State Soccer to ask. For more information on our programs that are currently open, please review the summaries at the links below.

If our fall season is cancelled or significantly delayed, we will issue refunds to families that registered. (This is different then what our normal refund policy states and refunds will only be issued if we have to cancel or delay due to Covid - 19.)

Micro $225 - program description here

Recreational $300 - program description here

Juniors $700 - program description here

Select $1250 & Tryouts $25 - program description here

Current Status of Select Tryouts

MIFC is prepared to hold Select tryouts in May, as per usual, in the event that social distancing restrictions are lifted or modified to make it safe for players and evaluators to participate. At the same time, MIFC is creating contingency plans to delay tryouts or to provisionally form teams without tryouts, while offering a later opportunity, once safe, to reassess team formation and perhaps hold limited tryouts for those wishing to advance to a higher level based on developmental assessment. If your child is interested in trying out for a select team, please register for a tryout spot here in the event that the Club is unable to hold physical tryouts, the tryout registration fee will be refunded.

Check Out Soccer Videos and Articles on Our Website

As parents struggle to support remote schooling and provide some structure under the stay at home order, MIFC has been working to refresh content on its website designed to increase players' soccer IQ, provide some easy "at home" skills building, and generate fun activities to work out some of that restless energy. Please check out the MIFC website here .

XBox Tournament

On March 28 ^th we began our first ever MIFC FIFA XBOX tournament. We had 32 players in 3 age groups; U8-U11, U12-U15 and U16+ competing for bragging rights amongst friends and some great prizes. It was conducted in a World Cup style tournament beginning with group games then elimination rounds for the top 2 teams from each group.

We just concluded 2 of the age groups and here are the results;

U8-U11

1 ^st Place – Haiden Byers

2 ^nd Place – Zachary Hyman

3 ^rd Place – Mason Zeitler

U8-U11

1 ^st Place – Harry Brown

2 ^nd Place – Augie Byers

We look forward to another tournament starting in the near future. Look for an coming announcement.

Family Fun -- Participate in Our Parent Contest

MIFC Coach Aaron Byers launched a #PlayerParentHomeContest on Twitter (here)

Rules are simple --

Video a fun activity at home with a ball, player and parent
Tweet your video @mercerislandfc & AaronKidsFutbol by 4/20
Prizes include: (1) New @Xbox ; (2) $100 @amazon ; (3) @pagliaccipizza ; (4) #CoachDanny training sessions

MIHS Board Searching for New Player-Coach Development VP

Over the past several years, MIFC has embraced a Player Development model rooted in the Dutch and Spanish football methodologies and player development philosophies. At the heart of this methodology, focus is individual skill development within a tactical reference, NOT winning and losing. Our teams should be focused on teaching young players skills that can be used within the game; while teaching the game - Attacking, Defending and Transitioning. The central organizing principle is for players to have fun while learning in a consistent skills framework..

Coaches will teach a possession based playing style which will maximize the amount of decisions and technical execution opportunities for young players. This will help develop players ability to be autonomous players.

The MIFC VP of Player and Coach Development is a member of the Board of Directors and helps to integrate these principles into coach training, structure of programming, team formation and placement, parent communications, and opportunities for players and their parents to participate in camps to understand and implement age appropriate training skills as well as best practices for structuring daily and weekly engagement with soccer, emphasizing proper rest.

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